Written Answers Tuesday 27 November 2007

Scottish Executive

2014 Commonwealth Games

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for (a) maintaining existing and (b) building new sports facilities in the Grampian area to accommodate teams that use the area as a training base leading up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Stewart Maxwell: It is a statutory responsibility for local authorities to provide adequate sports facilities for its residents including on-going maintenance and repair. Our National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy aims to provide world class training and competition facilities across Scotland. Aberdeen will receive £7 million from this programme for the development of the Chris Anderson Stadium.

2014 Commonwealth Games

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what legacy the 2014 Commonwealth Games will leave for Orkney.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government has a very clear commitment to ensuring that the whole of Scotland benefits from the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

  We will work with relevant agencies and local authorities to ensure that, Scottish businesses are well-placed to bid for contracts arising from the games, that visitors to the games are encouraged to travel to other parts of the country, and that youngsters everywhere are inspired to take up sport.

  Further information on how we intend to deliver a lasting legacy from the 2014 Commonwealth Games will be published for consultation within the first 100 days of winning the bid.

2014 Commonwealth Games

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage competing nations to use Orkney as a training base in the lead-up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government would like as many teams as possible to base a training camp in Scotland prior to the 2014 Commonwealth Games. We will build on work already being done to ensure as many Scottish facilities as possible are used as training camps in the lead up to the London 2012 Games.

  Further information on how we intend to ensure that all parts of Scotland benefit from the Commonwealth Games will be published for consultation within the first 100 days of winning the bid.

2014 Commonwealth Games

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for (a) maintaining existing and (b) building new sports facilities in Orkney to accommodate teams that use the area as a training base in the lead-up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Stewart Maxwell: It is a statutory responsibility of local authorities to provide adequate sporting facilities in their area, maintaining existing facilities and building new facilities as dictated by the needs of the community.

  The Scottish Government would like as many teams as possible to base a training camp in Scotland prior to the 2014 Commonwealth Games. We will build on work already being done to ensure as many Scottish facilities as possible are used as training camps in the lead up to the London 2012 Games.

Burial and Cremation

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many burials were organised and paid for by each local authority in each year since 1999.

John Swinney: This information is not held centrally.

Central Heating Programme

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the First Minister's commitment at First Minister’s Question Time on 20 September 2007, in relation to the review of the central heating programme, that "the Government’s purpose is an enhanced and improved scheme" ( Official Report , c. 1971), what financial resources will be made available for the programme.

Stewart Maxwell: As announced in the Spending Review last week the planned allocation of resource to fuel poverty programmes in each of the years 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 is £45.9 million. The Autumn Budget Revision also made available an additional £14 million for the central heating programme and Warm Deal in 2007-08.

Central Heating Programme

Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Glasgow Housing Association has completed all installations under the central heating programme.

Stewart Maxwell: I have asked James Hynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  Glasgow Housing Association has completed all its installations under the Scottish Government Central Heating Programme.

Central Heating Programme

Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on houses and cottages on private estates under the central heating programme in each year since 1999.

Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many houses and cottages on private estates have received new heating systems under the central heating programme in each year since 1999.

Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what average mileage claims were made by contractors carrying out work on homes being fitted with heating systems under the central heating programme in each year since 1999.

Stewart Maxwell: I have asked James Hynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  This information is not held centrally as under the terms of the contract, the managing agent is not required to collate this information.

Central Heating Programme

Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times were from assessment to completion of work carried out under the central heating programme in each year since 1999.

Stewart Maxwell: I have asked James Hynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  The central heating programme did not start until September 2001.

  The average waiting time on the central heating programme reported by the Managing Agent, from application to installation, since 2002-03 is shown in the following table:

  

 Year
Average Waiting Time (Months)


 2002-03
 8


 2003-04
 8


 2004-05
 5-6


 2005-06
 5-6


 2006-07
 5


 2007-08 (current)
 5-6

Central Heating Programme

Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases contractors carrying out work on homes being fitted with heating systems under the central heating programme did not come from the local authority area in which the homes were located, broken down by (a) year since 1999 and (b) local authority area.

Stewart Maxwell: I have asked James Hynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  Under the terms of the contract the managing agent, Scottish Gas, is not required to collate or hold information in this way. Consequently, the information requested is not held centrally.

Central Heating Programme

Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applicants there have been under the central heating programme in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Stewart Maxwell: I have asked James Hynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-5966 on 14 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Civil Servants

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil servants have transferred between Edinburgh and London in each year since 1999 and which Whitehall departments have been involved.

John Swinney: The number of Scottish Government Core Civil Servants permanently transferred to and from other UK Government Departments is contained in the following table. Information on which UK Government Departments are involved in each case is not held on our staffing database. Some of these transfers will have involved locations outside Edinburgh and London. The Whitehall Departments most frequently involved in such transfers are HM Treasury, Department for Transport, Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Cabinet Office, Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), Department of Work and Pensions and the Central Office of Information.

  

 Year
 Transferred from UK Government Departments
 Transferred to UK Government Departments


 1999
 59
 14


 2000
 22
 14


 2001
 45
 11


 2002
 43
 24


 2003
 34
 23


 2004
 25
 13


 2005
 30
 13


 2006
 30
 18


 2007
 30
 25


 Total
 318
 155



  The Scottish Government does not hold or have access to such information for other departments in Scotland.

Class Sizes

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will monitor any loss of non-class teaching educational space as a result of schools meeting the maximum class size pledge of 18 pupils in primary 1 and primary 3 and publish annual findings (a) by local authority and (b) for Scotland.

Maureen Watt: The detailed management and usage of school accommodation is the responsibility of local authorities and schools themselves and is not and has not been subject to Scottish Government monitoring.

Communities

Nigel Don (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the report of its review of community penalties.

Kenny MacAskill: Reforming and Revitalising – the Report of the Review of Community Penalties was published today and can be accessed on the Scottish Government website’s publication page at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications .

  The report contains a range of recommendations which will provide tougher, more effective community penalties – offering a smarter response to lower level offending than short prison sentences in many cases. A summary of the report is also available on the Scottish Government website and copies of the summary have been made available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 44150).

Council Tax

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether further negotiations will be required between it and local authorities to agree council tax freezes in 2009-10 and 2010-11.

John Swinney: The joint Scottish Government and COSLA concordat covers the three years of the Spending Review 2007 period (2008-11). As part of the Concordat, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning and I will meet the COSLA Presidential Team every two months to review progress and any issues that may arise.

Council Tax

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding will be allocated to each local authority over the next three years if they do not agree to the funding package endorsed by the Scottish Government and COSLA on local government finance and what the percentage difference would be from the funding provided for each local authority in 2007-08.

John Swinney: Individual local authority allocations will be announced in mid-December, following further discussions with COSLA.

Council Tax

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, after agreeing to the funding package endorsed by the Scottish Government and COSLA on local government finance, there would be any financial consequences for a local authority that implemented a council tax freeze for only one year.

John Swinney: The joint Scottish Government and COSLA concordat covers the three years of the Spending Review 2007 period (2008-11) and puts in place sufficient resources to freeze council tax rates at 2007-08 levels.

Council Tax

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how local authorities will be compensated for the loss of revenue for affordable housing from additional council tax on second homes in the event of council tax being abolished.

John Swinney: I intend to launch a consultation before Christmas on our proposals for the abolition of council tax, which will include discussion of the taxation of second homes.

Council Tax

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures will be put in place to ensure that local authorities can accurately identify the level of second home ownership in their areas to inform local housing strategies in the event of council tax being abolished.

John Swinney: I intend to launch a consultation before Christmas on our proposals for the abolition of council tax, which will include discussion of the identification and taxation of second homes.

Culture

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much will be spent in 2008-09 on the Youth Music Initiative.

Linda Fabiani: Our budget plans include a proposal to maintain funding to the Youth Music Initiative over the period of the Spending Review, including 2008-09, at the current level of £10 million per annum.

Culture

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much will be spent in 2008-09 on cultural co-ordinators in schools.

Linda Fabiani: £2.65 million has been budgeted for the Cultural Co-ordinators programme in 2008-09.

Culture

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what the £20 million Cultural Review funding attached to the 2007-08 culture budget is actually being spent.

Linda Fabiani: A total of up to £13.3 million of commitments from the £20 million new money for culture in 2007-08 have been made so far, as set out as follows:

  £8.4 million to Scottish Arts Council;

  £0.55 million to Scottish Screen;

  £3.85 million to the National Performing Companies, and

  £0.5 million (up to) for the Broadcasting Commission.

  Further announcements on the balance will follow in due course.

Culture

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a topline breakdown of the 2007-08 Scottish Arts Council budget.

Linda Fabiani: The following table provides a topline breakdown. Information about recipients of individual grants and further details about the implementation of other funds is available from the Scottish Arts Council.

  


 Item
Amount
  (£ Million)
 Notes


 Core grant 
 32.296
 


 Youth Music Initiative
 10
 


 Cultural Co-ordinators in Schools initiative
 2.65
 


 Arts and Business sponsorship project
 0.4
 


 Artfull project
 0.18
 Artfull is a project connected to mental health. 


 Payments in respect of the National Performing Companies
 2.8
 These one off payments (£1.4m each for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Scottish Ballet) were processed through the Scottish Arts Council for the purposes of administrative efficiency.


 Depreciation
 0.073
 Depreciation must be accounted for as part of revenue budgets, but is not a cash payment.


 Miscellaneous
 0.05
 Over the course of the financial year it proved possible to make a small one off addition to the grant in aid as a consequence of departmental efficiencies.


 Total
 48.449

Drug Misuse

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent on all drug services, including treatment, rehabilitation and education, in 2007-08.

Fergus Ewing: A number of budget lines across the Scottish Government provide resources for tackling drug misuse in 2007-08.

  £31.7 million was allocated from the Justice portfolio in 2007-08. Of this, £23.7 million was allocated to NHS health boards for drug treatment and rehabilitation services. £3 million was transferred to the Health and Wellbeing portfolio and Community Justice Services for drugs related activities. The remainder was retained to fund centrally determined projects.

  In 2007-08, an additional £12.1 million has been made available for drug treatment and rehabilitation for offenders including Drug Treatment Testing Orders.

  There is also expenditure on drugs from the local government budget. The level of this funding has been significant, and at least comparable to the ring-fenced funding provided by central government. The most recent figures available show that in 2005-06 £37.3 million was spent by local authorities on community care services for people with drug and/or alcohol problems.

  Health boards also use some of their unified budget for drug treatment services. For example, the most recent figures show that costs and fees for methadone mixture in 2005-06 amounted to £12.2 million.

  Other relevant budgets, such as the police and some of those within the Health and Wellbeing portfolio also used some of their resources towards tackling drug misuse. Education authorities also provide drugs education in schools from their wider budgets.

Economy

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the GDP figures that the First Minister quoted on 28 October 2007 will be published.

John Swinney: Analysis on Scotland’s income per capita, with varying methods of accounting for North Sea output, was placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre on 2 November 2007.

Economy

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the First Minister used the GDP figures that he quoted on 28 October 2007 for party political purposes.

John Swinney: The following statement was made by a Scottish Government spokesperson on 29 October 2007 in relation to the information referred to by the First Minister:

  "The Permanent Secretary is completely satisfied that the information was not provided specifically for use at the SNP party conference. Therefore, there was no misuse of civil service resources for purely party political purposes. The figures are as quoted, and a full analysis will be published in due course."

  The full analysis promised on 29 October was placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre on Friday 2 November 2007, and demonstrates clearly the basis of the information referred to by the First Minister. Placing factual information in the public domain is a legitimate function of the Scottish Government.

Economy

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether briefing on unpublished GDP figures by its special advisers to a Sunday newspaper was for party political purposes.

John Swinney: On 28 October 2007, the First Minister referred to economic analysis produced by civil servants. The following statement was made by a Scottish Government spokesperson on 29 October 2007 in relation to the information referred to by the First Minister:

  "The Permanent Secretary is completely satisfied that the information was not provided specifically for use at the SNP party conference. Therefore, there was no misuse of civil service resources for purely party political purposes. The figures are as quoted, and a full analysis will be published in due course."

  Analysis on Scotland’s income per capita, with varying methods of accounting for North Sea output, was placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre on 2 November 2007.

Economy

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether civil servants compiled the table of GDP figures that was distributed to journalists on 28 October 2007.

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether special advisers compiled the table of GDP figures that was distributed to journalists on 28 October 2007.

John Swinney: Civil servants produced analysis on Scotland’s income per capita, with varying methods of accounting for North Sea output. The full analysis, including tables of GDP per capita figures, was placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre on 2 November 2007.

Economy

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister’s special advisers compiled the table of GDP figures that was distributed to journalists on Sunday 28 October 2007 for party political purposes.

John Swinney: Civil servants produced analysis on Scotland’s income per capita, with varying methods of accounting for North Sea output. This information was referred to by the First Minister on 28 October 2007.

  The following statement was made by a Scottish Government spokesperson on 29 October 2007 in relation to the information referred to by the First Minister:

  "The Permanent Secretary is completely satisfied that the information was not provided specifically for use at the SNP party conference. Therefore, there was no misuse of civil service resources for purely party political purposes. The figures are as quoted, and a full analysis will be published in due course."

  The full analysis, including tables of GDP per capita figures, was placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre on 2 November 2007.

Economy

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what sources the First Minister’s special advisers drew on to compile the table of GDP figures that was distributed to journalists on 28 October 2007.

John Swinney: Analysis on Scotland’s income per capita, with varying methods of accounting for North Sea output, was produced by civil servants. This analysis was placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre on 2 November 2007.

Economy

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the source was of the GDP figures that the First Minister quoted on 28 October 2007.

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the basis was for the calculation that created the GDP figures quoted by the First Minister on 28 October 2007.

John Swinney: On 28 October 2007, the First Minister referred to economic analysis produced by civil servants. Analysis on Scotland’s income per capita, with varying methods of accounting for North Sea output, was placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre on 2 November 2007.

Economy

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the GDP figures that the First Minister quoted on 28 October 2007 were derived.

John Swinney: Analysis on Scotland’s income per capita, which was referred to by the First Minister on 28 October 2007, was placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre on 2 November 2007.

Economy

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the "on-going government work" is for which the GDP figures that the First Minister quoted on 28 October 2007 were created.

John Swinney: The analysis on Scotland’s income per capita, with varying methods of accounting for North Sea output, which was placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre on 2 November 2007, is part of on-going analytical work measuring the economic value of North Sea output both in terms of its direct contribution to the economy and also its fiscal contribution in terms of tax revenues.

Economy

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth is taking to fulfil his responsibilities under the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.

Jim Mather: As minister responsible for general statistics issues I can inform you that officials of the Scottish Government have been working with the other devolved governments, the UK Government and the chair designate of the Statistics Board to prepare for the many changes that will be brought about by the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. Turning specifically to the responsibilities conferred on Scottish ministers under the act, the Scottish Government is currently:

  working on a draft Pre-release Access Order; this will set out the rules and principles for access to Scottish official statistics prior to publication.

  working with the UK Government to ensure that I am consulted on the appointment of at least one non-executive director of the Statistics Board, which is the new non-ministerial department created for by the act.

  The act will be brought into force from April 2008.

Economy

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of GDP growth in each year to 2011 would be consistent with achieving the target of matching the GDP growth of the small independent EU countries by 2017, as set out in The Government Economic Strategy .

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what quartile ranking in productivity in each year to 2011 would be consistent with achieving the target of ranking in the top quartile for productivity among our key trading partners in the OECD by 2017, as set out in The Government Economic Strategy .

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what position in labour market participation in each year to 2011 would be consistent with achieving the target of closing the gap with the top five OECD economies by 2017, as set out in The Government Economic Strategy .

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what range of population growth in each year to 2011 would be consistent with achieving the target of matching the average (EU-15) population growth over the period from 2007 to 2017, as set out in The Government Economic Strategy .

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how an increase in healthy life expectancy in Scotland between 2007 and 2017, as set out in The Government Economic Strategy , will be measured and reported and how frequently.

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how an increase in overall income and proportion of income earned by the three lowest income deciles as a group by 2017, as set out in The Government Economic Strategy , will be measured and reported and how frequently.

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how the target to increase the proportion of income earned by the three lowest income deciles as a group, as set out in The Government Economic Strategy , defines "income earned" and, in particular, whether this definition excludes income from social security benefits and tax credits.

John Swinney: Technical notes, outlining how the targets set out in The Government Economic Strategy will be measured and monitored, will be published on the Scottish Government website on 30 November 2007.

Economy

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5971 by John Swinney on 6 November 2007, how it will ensure that business rate reductions will be utilised effectively in meeting aspirations to become a high skills, high wage economy.

John Swinney: The Government Economic Strategy identifies lower business taxation for small and medium-sized businesses as one of a range of measures to create a more supportive business environment and increase sustainable economic growth in Scotland. The economic impact of lower business taxation in Scotland will ultimately be measured by its contribution to meeting the strategic targets set out in The Government Economic Strategy .

  The Government Economic Strategy is available at: www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/11/12115041/0.

Economy

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5971 by John Swinney on 6 November 2007, if the proposals to remove or reduce business rates will substantially benefit small and medium-sized businesses by giving them a competitive advantage, over whom this advantage will occur and on what basis it will be assessed.

John Swinney: Business rates account for a higher proportion of costs for small businesses than they do for larger businesses, so reductions in business rates for small and medium-sized businesses will reduce this competitive disadvantage.

  I also refer the member to the answers to questions S3W-6508 and S3W-6510 on 27 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Education

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the £10 million additional support for learning fund promised in the SNP manifesto will be additional to existing resources and in which financial year or years it will be made available.

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government will be providing local government in Scotland with record levels of funding over the period covered by the spending review 2008-11. The vast majority of the funding, including the additional support fund , will be provided by means of a block grant. It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives and manifesto commitments. The Scottish Government is working with local government on a new performance reporting system which will provide regular reports on the progress made in achieving the national outcomes, which are underpinned by specific indicators.

Environment

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is contained in the Scottish spending review to reduce the carbon footprint of the Scottish administration and what the expected reduction will be.

John Swinney: Around £5 million a year is allocated within the administration budget for maintenance and development of the Scottish Government estate. Measures to reduce the carbon footprint of the Scottish Government estate will be met from this budget.

  Decisions have yet to be taken on changes to the programme of maintenance and development of the Scottish Government estate following the spending review, and we are not able to estimate carbon savings at this time. However, a number of initiatives are being taken to improve the environmental performance of the Scottish Government as detailed in our annual Environmental Report. The report covering the year 2006-07 will be issued in December.

European Funding

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive for what projects it will seek support from the £200 million budget of European funds designated to boost cross-border links with Ireland and Northern Ireland which Scotland has been given approval to access.

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how local authorities can access the £200 million budget of European funds designated to boost cross-border links with Ireland and Northern Ireland which Scotland has been given approval to access.

Jim Mather: We are delighted that the Cross Border Co-operation Programme has been approved by the European Commission. The programme brings a welcome €192 million of EU investment to a €256 million programme for the cross border region, which includes parts of Western Scotland.

  This provides a great opportunity for Scottish organisations, including local authorities, to collaborate with their Irish and Northern Irish partners in developing creative and innovative projects that will bring long term economic and social benefits to the cross border area. The rules for the programme require Scottish partners to work with partners from Northern Ireland and the Republic in joint projects of mutual benefit.

  Individual project proposals will be dealt with by the programme’s Managing Authority, the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), on a case-by-case basis. The SEUPB will provide support and advice on all applications and we would encourage all potential project applicants to make early contact with SEUPB to ensure their proposals are presented in the best possible way. Scottish Government officials will work closely with the SEUPB and their Irish and Northern Irish counterparts to promote eligible Scottish projects to the best advantage.

  The programme sets out a range of actions that local authorities and other partners might respond to. These include initiatives to support enterprise through economic development and community sustainability under the specific themes of: (1) enterprise; (2) tourism; (3) collaboration, and (4) infrastructure. All project applications must clearly show that they contribute to one of these themes.

Fisheries

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that membership of the European Union requires Scotland to participate in a common fisheries policy.

Linda Fabiani: Scotland's membership of the European Union, currently as part of the United Kingdom, requires it to meet all obligations with relevance to its devolved competences, including the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Full membership as an independent state would of course provide Scotland with a greater influence in negotiations on the much needed reform of the CFP.

Housing

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has estimated the impact on carbon emissions in each year to 2010-11 of its housing programme set out in Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007 sets out our intention to invest £1.44 billion in increasing the supply of good quality, sustainable housing over the period 2008-11. The details will be published in due course. Communities Scotland is commissioning research to establish the baseline costs of energy efficiency measures for social housing and then to explore the financial implications of CO 2 reductions at specific levels.

  All the new homes to be provided will be built to the high environmental standards set by the relevant planning requirements and building standards applicable at that time. Current Scottish building regulations, published in 2007, require that the energy performance of new homes should reduce CO2 emissions from new housing by an average of 23% beyond the previous standards. Scottish Planning Policy on Renewables (SPP6), which was also introduced in 2007, requires that any developments of 500m2 or more should include low and zero carbon equipment to reduce carbon emissions by at least a further 15%.

Housing

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what role it expects the Parliament to have in overseeing the activity of the proposed new regulatory body for housing.

Stewart Maxwell: Firm Foundations: the future of housing in Scotland  includes the Scottish Government’s proposals to introduce legislation that would establish a new, independent regulatory body for social housing. The government will decide whether to proceed with that proposal, and if so in what manner, in light of the responses it receives to Firm Foundations and its response to the recommendations of the Crerar Review.

Industry

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the Biomass Action Plan.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government continues to work in partnership with stakeholders to pursue the action plan, which provides a focus for maximising the opportunities for growth, jobs and sustainability offered by the expansion of the biomass sector in Scotland. Good progress is being made. For example, the Scottish Biomass Support Scheme is providing a significant kick start to the biomass sector by supporting around 75 projects from a wide range of organisations, from the supply side through to boiler and plant installation.

Justice

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many offences of drunkenness were recorded in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus in each year since 1997, also showing the rates per head of population.

Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is shown in the following tables.

  Offences of drunkenness recorded by the police in Angus and the City of Dundee, 1996-97 to 2006-07

  Number of Incidents

  

 Year
 Angus
 Dundee City


 1997-98
 93
 243


 1998-99
 67
 354


 1999-2000
 76
 386


 2000-01
 76
 386


 2001-02
 48
 419


 2002-03
 62
 399


 2003-04
 54
 463


 2004-05
 52
 377


 2005-06
 63
 429


 2006-07
 62
 320



  Rate Per 100,000 Population

  

 Year
 Angus
 Dundee City


 1997-98
 85
 161


 1998-99
 61
 237


 1999-2000
 69
 261


 2000-01
 70
 263


 2001-02
 44
 288


 2002-03
 57
 277


 2003-04
 50
 323


 2004-05
 48
 265


 2005-06
 58
 301


 2006-07
 57
 225

Justice

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of imprisoning individuals serving custodial sentences for non-payment of fines and what the average level of unpaid fine is in such instances.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS does not keep cost data specific to fine defaulters.

  In 2006-07, there was an average daily population of 46 fine defaulters and the average annual cost per prisoner place was £30,989. So an estimated cost of imprisoning people for non-payment of fines in 2006-07 would be around £1.4 million.

  In 2006-07, there were 5,963 fine default receptions and the average fine outstanding per reception was £277.

Local Government Finance

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding will be allocated to each local authority over the next three years if they agree to the funding package endorsed by the Scottish Government and COSLA on local government finance and what the percentage difference would be from the funding provided for each local authority in 2007-08.

John Swinney: Individual local authority allocations will be announced in mid-December, following further discussions with COSLA.

Minimum Wage

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with Her Majesty’s Government about the possible introduction of a regional minimum wage policy and, if so, what the outcome has been of these discussions.

Jim Mather: Scottish Government officials have spoken to their counterparts in the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) on this matter. DBERR officials say there are currently no plans to introduce a regional minimum wage.

Ministerial Correspondence

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning received my letter dated 20 September 2007 concerning the Scottish Government’s free school meals pilot and when it will reply to the letter.

Fiona Hyslop: A reply to your letter of 20 September 2007 was sent to you today 27 November 2007. Apologies once again for the delay in responding.

NHS Hospitals

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates being able to issue new guidance to NHS boards on car parking charges.

Margaret Curran (Glasgow Baillieston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when guidance will be issued to NHS boards to reduce excessive charges for hospital car parking and other services and review public transport to hospitals to ensure that they are sufficiently accessible.

Nicola Sturgeon: I have instructed that a review of the guidance governing hospital car parking charges be carried out. I will carefully consider the review group’s recommendations when they are submitted at the end of this month.

NHS Waiting Times

Margaret Curran (Glasgow Baillieston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to bring forward proposals to introduce legally binding guarantees for waiting times.

Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-2943 on 23 August 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

National Health Service

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it intends to provide for training in specialist rural areas medicine.

Nicola Sturgeon: The provision of high quality health care specific to the needs of remote and rural communities has been a feature of the work of the Scottish Government’s Implementation Group for Delivering for Health.

  Supported training placements in remote and rural locations are offered at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. To support this, NHS Education for Scotland has established the Remote and Rural Healthcare Educational Alliance (RRHEAL), to provide educational support and development for the rural-based workforce at the request of the Scottish Government.

Non-Domestic Rates

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many small and medium-sized enterprises in (a) Central Scotland parliamentary region, (b) each parliamentary constituency in Central Scotland parliamentary region, (c) North Lanarkshire local authority area, (d) South Lanarkshire local authority area and (e) Falkirk local authority area will benefit from the proposal to introduce the small business bonus package, as outlined in the Scottish Budget Spending Review 2007.

John Swinney: Information on small and medium-sized enterprises in the form requested is not held centrally. However, information on the number and rateable value of non-domestic properties which may be eligible for relief under the Small Business Bonus scheme is available for each of the local authority areas concerned on the Scottish Assessors Portal ( www.saa.gov.uk ). This information is shown as follows:

  

 Number of Properties by Local Authority Area
 Rateable Value of Property


 Up to £8,000
£8,001-£10,000
£10,001-£15,000
 Total up to £15,000


 East Ayrshire
 2,573
 230
 351
 3,154


 East Dunbartonshire
 1,146
 197
 260
 1,603


 Falkirk
 2,816
 281
 406
 3,503


 North Lanarkshire
 4,531
 626
 881
 6,038


 South Lanarkshire
 4,968
 626
 905
 6,499



  Notes:

  (i) The rateable value ranges shown in the table correspond to those on page 12 of the Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007.

  (ii) The table shows the number of non-domestic properties with rateable values of up to £15,000 in North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and Falkirk. Information is also given for all of East Ayrshire and East Dunbartonshire, as parts of these local authority areas also fall within the Central Scotland parliamentary region.

  (iii) The number of eligible businesses will be lower than the number of non-domestic properties in each area, because some businesses have more than one property. This may affect eligibility for relief under the Small Business Bonus Scheme, which will depend on:

  the combined rateable value of all properties in Scotland which a business owns, leases or is otherwise entitled to occupy;

  whether the property is eligible for one of the existing rates relief schemes, and

  the level of other public sector assistance received by the business.

Non-Domestic Rates

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many small businesses in the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency will benefit from the proposed cut in business rates.

John Swinney: Information on small and medium-sized enterprises in the form requested is not held centrally. However, information on the number and rateable value of non-domestic properties which may be eligible for relief under the Small Business Bonus scheme is available for each of the local authority areas concerned on the Scottish Assessors Portal ( www.saa.gov.uk ). This information is shown as follows:

  

 Number of Properties by Local Authority Area
 Rateable Value of Property


 Up to £8,000
£8,001-£10,000
£10,001-£15,000
 Total up to £15,000


 West Dunbartonshire 
 1,505
 164
 241
 1,910


 Argyll and Bute
 6,118
 236
 338
 6,692



  Notes:

  (i) The rateable value ranges shown in the table correspond to those on page 12 of the Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007.

  (ii) The table shows the number of non-domestic properties with rateable values of up to £15,000 in all of West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute. Part of each of these local authority areas falls within the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency.

  (iii) The number of eligible businesses will be lower than the number of non-domestic properties in each area, because some businesses have more than one property. This may affect eligibility for relief under the Small Business Bonus Scheme, which will depend on:

  the combined rateable value of all properties in Scotland which a business owns, leases or is otherwise entitled to occupy;

  whether the property is eligible for one of the existing rates relief schemes, and

  the level of other public sector assistance received by the business.

Non-Domestic Rates

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many small businesses in the Clydebank and Milngavie parliamentary constituency will benefit from the proposed cut in business rates.

John Swinney: Information on small and medium-sized enterprises in the form requested is not held centrally. However, information on the number and rateable value of non-domestic properties which may be eligible for relief under the Small Business Bonus scheme is available for each of the local authority areas concerned on the Scottish Assessors Portal ( www.saa.gov.uk ). This information is shown as follows:

  

 Number of Properties by Local Authority Area
 Rateable Value of Property


 Up to £8,000
£8,001-£10,000
£10,001-£15,000
 Total up to £15,000


 West Dunbartonshire 
 1,505
 164
 241
 1,910


 East Dunbartonshire 
 1,146
 197
 260
 1,603



  Notes:

  (i) The rateable value ranges shown in the table correspond to those on page 12 of the Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007.

  (ii) The table shows the number of non-domestic properties with rateable values of up to £15,000 in all of West and East Dunbartonshire. Part of each of these local authority areas falls within the Clydebank and Milngavie parliamentary constituency.

  (iii) The number of eligible businesses will be lower than the number of non-domestic properties in each area, because some businesses have more than one property. This may affect eligibility for relief under the Small Business Bonus Scheme, which will depend on:

  the combined rateable value of all properties in Scotland which a business owns, leases or is otherwise entitled to occupy;

  whether the property is eligible for one of the existing rates relief schemes, and

  the level of other public sector assistance received by the business.

Non-Domestic Rates

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many small businesses in the Strathkelvin and Bearsden parliamentary constituency will benefit from the proposed cut in business rates.

John Swinney: Information on small and medium-sized enterprises in the form requested is not held centrally. However, information on the number and rateable value of non-domestic properties which may be eligible for relief under the Small Business Bonus scheme is available for each of the local authority areas concerned on the Scottish Assessors Portal ( www.saa.gov.uk ). This information is shown as follows:

  

 Number of Properties by Local Authority Area
 Rateable Value of Property


 Up to £8,000
£8,001-£10,000
£10,001-£15,000
 Total up to £15,000


 East Dunbartonshire 
 1,146
 197
 260
 1,603



  Notes:

  (i) The rateable value ranges shown in the table correspond to those on page 12 of the Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007.

  (ii) The table shows the number of non-domestic properties with rateable values of up to £15,000 in all of East Dunbartonshire, which is the local authority area in which the Strathkelvin and Bearsden parliamentary constituency is situated.

  (iii) The number of eligible businesses will be lower than the number of non-domestic properties in each area, because some businesses have more than one property. This may affect eligibility for relief under the Small Business Bonus Scheme, which will depend on:

  the combined rateable value of all properties in Scotland which a business owns, leases or is otherwise entitled to occupy;

  whether the property is eligible for one of the existing rates relief schemes, and

  the level of other public sector assistance received by the business.

Non-Domestic Rates

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5971 by John Swinney on 6 November 2007, how the impact of business rate reductions on small and medium-sized businesses will be monitored and evaluated.

John Swinney: Once the Small Business Bonus scheme is fully implemented, we will be in a position to evaluate its impact, including how it interacts with other rates relief schemes, and to ensure that rates relief is targeted at those businesses which need it most.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-6510 on 27 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Physiotherapists

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many physiotherapists are employed by the NHS.

Nicola Sturgeon: There were 2,138 whole-time equivalent qualified Physiotherapists in NHSScotland at September 2006 and the numbers have been increasing by an average of 3.6% over the last five years.

  Information on staff employed in NHS Scotland is published on the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Statistics, at www.isdscotland.org/workforce.

  Section F gives details of therapeutic, health care science, technical, pharmacy and ambulance staff. In particular, tables F1 and F2 show the whole-time equivalent (WTE) and headcount of physiotherapists employed in NHS Scotland by year and by NHS board and region. WTE adjusts headcount to take account of part-time staff. Latest available data is at 30 September 2006.

Physiotherapists

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to increase the number of physiotherapists employed by the NHS.

Nicola Sturgeon: Board workforce plans published in April 2007 have predicted that the overall number of qualified physiotherapists is projected to increase by almost 7% over the next three years from 2,138 to 2,286 whole-time equivalent.

Physiotherapists

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many physiotherapists it intends to recruit over the period of the current spending review.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards are responsible for designing the models of service they require and ensuring the staffing resource to deliver that and meet the needs of their population.

Police

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5541 by Kenny MacAskill on 30 October 2007, what action it can take if a chief constable fails to deploy the number of police officers to frontline duties that the Executive wishes.

Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-6337 on 22 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Police

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much ring-fenced funding will be allocated for local authorities to pay for the police in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.

Kenny MacAskill: Discussions are continuing with COSLA over the distribution of resources in the local government finance settlement, including the allocations for police. Final decisions will be confirmed when the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth announces the details of the Local Government Finance Settlement in his statement to Parliament in mid-December.

Prison Escorts

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers have been released from prisoner escorting duties as a result of the contract with Reliance.

Kenny MacAskill: Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) have calculated that 209 officers (full-time equivalent) were released from prisoner escorting and related court duties as a result of the contract with Reliance.

Prison Service

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £12.8 million, £21 million and £29.2 million shown on page 61 of Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007 for capital investment in the prison estate relates to each prison on which expenditure will be incurred, broken down by year.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  These figures refer to the overall increase in the SPS Draft Budget for capital expenditure in comparison with the Budget for 2007-08. Over the next three years, the SPS will be investing an average of some £120 million per annum in replacing and modernising prison capacity across the estate. Details of the planned investments are provided in the response to question S3W-6454 on 27 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Prison Service

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what prison capacity will be in each year from 2007-08 to 2010-11 based on the spending plans in Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007 .

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  Following the opening of replacement accommodation at HM Prison Perth in October 2007, the design capacity of the estate is approximately 6,400. HM Prison Addiewell is due to open in December 2008, providing 700 places, and new house blocks will open at HM Prison Edinburgh (early 2009) and HM Young Offenders Institution Polmont (late 2009) providing a further 250 places. When this additional accommodation comes on stream, subject to prisoner numbers at the time, it will be used to reduce the levels of cell-sharing across the estate and to allow unfit accommodation to be decommissioned or replaced.

  Work is also underway to deliver a new 700 place prison at Bishopbriggs. Following the termination of the competition to design, build, operate and finance the new prison on 24 August 2007, SPS is now preparing for a new competition to design and build a prison for public sector operation and management as instructed by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice on 22 August 2007. We expect to commence this procurement process around the turn of this calendar year and to award a construction contract around the end of 2008, with a view to HM Prison Bishopbriggs opening during 2011.

  The Cabinet Secretary for Justice also announced in August 2007 that HM Prison Aberdeen and HM Prison Peterhead (both considered to be unfit for purpose) would be replaced with a new prison in the Peterhead area (HM Prison Grampian). SPS is now taking forward this development, and will be using the private sector to construct the prison and public sector staff to operate and manage the facility. No firm date has yet been set for the opening of HM Prison Grampian – further work is required, including site identification, securing planning permission and development of a specification. It is therefore likely to open after HM Prison Bishopbriggs.

Prison Service

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider the establishment of a purpose-built remand unit for local prisoners awaiting trial in Aberdeen.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The new prison in the Peterhead area (HM Prison Grampian), which will replace HM Prison Aberdeen and HM Prison Peterhead, will provide accommodation for prisoners awaiting trial in Aberdeen as well as other parts of the area covered by the Northern Community Justice Authority.

Procurement

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5450 by John Swinney on 26 October 2007, whether it will install water coolers connected to the public supply in its Victoria Quay offices.

John Swinney: Water coolers connected to the mains public supply are installed as appropriate. There is one within Victoria Quay which services the restaurant area.

Public Sector Finance

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total budget was for non-departmental public bodies and government agencies in 2006-07.

John Swinney: The total budget for non-departmental public bodies and government agencies in 2006-07 was £12.502 billion.

Public Sector Staff

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff were employed in non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and government agencies in 2006-07.

John Swinney: Details of the number of staff employed in the Scottish Public Sector, including NDPBs and agencies is published quarterly as part of the Public Sector Employment Statistics. The latest version of the statistics is available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00608 .

  The Public Bodies and Appointments pages of the Scottish Government website also contain staffing levels extracted from the quarterly workforce estimates. The Directory of Scottish Public Bodies can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/introduction.

Regeneration

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will agree to the request by the leader of Glasgow City Council for the authority and budget to create a £250 million local economic development/regeneration agency for Glasgow.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government has not received such a formal request from the leader of Glasgow City Council.

  We have announced as part of the enterprise network reform that responsibility for local regeneration and local delivery of Business Gateway would transfer to local authorities. The aim of the reform was to de-clutter the enterprise landscape in Scotland and to allow Scottish Enterprise to focus on priorities which will make a net positive impact on our national economy.

  Glasgow City Council has a budget as updated under SR07 and it is up to the local authority to prioritise within that budget.

  It is also important to remember that there will still be a Scottish Enterprise local office in Glasgow which will continue to work in partnership with Glasgow City Council to deliver.

Scottish Futures Trust

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, following the ministerial statement on the strategic spending review, when the Scottish futures trust will be established.

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much will be available under the Scottish futures trust for each of the next three financial years.

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the details of its proposed Scottish futures trust.

John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-5903 on 7 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Scottish Government Expenditure

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what spending will be included in Strategic Research and Analysis as shown on page 81 of Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007 .

John Swinney: This budget provides a central fund to support strategic long-term investment in the evidence base in cross-cutting policy areas across all the portfolios. Work for the Strategic Spending Review and, more recently, development of high-level outcomes for the Purpose and five Strategic Objectives has revealed gaps in the evidence base particularly around the evaluation of longer-term policy impacts. Directorate research budgets focus mainly on short-term sectoral needs. A central fund will support the development of performance analysis and high-level policy evaluation designed to assess our performance in achieving the Purpose and Strategic Objectives.

Social Work

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified social workers there have been on each local authority’s establishment in each of the last three years.

Adam Ingram: The number of filled social worker posts and vacancies in each local authority in each of the last three years is available in the Social Worker Posts and Vacancies: October 2007 publication http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/11/12120307/0 .

Social Work

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified social workers there have been in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority.

Adam Ingram: The number of filled social worker posts in each local authority in each of the last three years is available in the Social Worker Posts and Vacancies: October 2007 publication:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/11/12120307/0.

Social Work

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified social workers with specific responsibility for child protection there have been on each local authority’s establishment in each of the last three years.

Adam Ingram: Information is not collected by the Scottish Government on social workers with specific responsibility for child protection. Total establishment of social workers in Children’s Services in each local authority in each of the last three years is provided in the following table.

  Social Worker Total Establishment in Children’s Services (Whole-Time Equivalent) - by Local Authority: October 2004 to October 2006

  

 
Total Establishment - WTE1,2,3,4


Local Authority
October 2004
October 2005
October 2006


Aberdeen City
120
113
123


Aberdeenshire
130
127
126


Angus
50
44
48


Argyll and Bute
12
14
18


Clackmannanshire
27
24
24


Dumfries and Galloway
55
80
82


Dundee City5
114
83
83


East Ayrshire
43
38
56


East Dunbartonshire
20
19
22


East Lothian
30
41
30


East Renfrewshire
36
35
34


Edinburgh City6
231
228
228


Eilean Siar7
5
6
7


Falkirk
61
79
86


Fife
113
123
143


Glasgow City
350
396
405


Highland
111
125
122


Inverclyde
46
53
49


Midlothian
32
38
42


Moray
40
49
50


North Ayrshire
44
44
51


North Lanarkshire
108
121
136


Orkney Islands
10
9
8


Perth and Kinross
57
52
52


Renfrewshire
64
64
72


Scottish Borders
56
46
50


Shetland Islands
9
8
9


South Ayrshire
47
46
51


South Lanarkshire
111
122
119


Stirling
51
54
45


West Dunbartonshire
77
56
61


West Lothian
74
81
73


Scotland
2,332
2,415
 2,501



  Source: Social work staff and vacancies: annual statistics. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Children/PubSocialWorkStaff.

  Notes:

  The bi-annual Social Work Posts and Vacancies: October 2007 publication contains national level data on social worker numbers at service level. For statistical reasons, these cannot be broken down by local authority and the latest available annual statistics have therefore been used as noted above.

  1. Total establishment = WTE filled posts + WTE vacant posts.

  2. In the October 2006 census, there was a change in methodology to eliminate the double counting of staff covering for absent staff. Therefore, 2006 figures are not comparable with previous years.

  3. Staff numbers may fluctuate over time as a result of various factors, including changes in the way services are provided and changes in the numbers of vacancies.

  4. For some local authorities, certain services are provided by other departments (e.g. some services for children may be provided by education departments). This will result in some differences in the level of staffing between local authorities.

  5. In 2006, data for Dundee City was not provided. The data supplied for 2005 has been used.

  6. In 2006, children and families data for City of Edinburgh was not provided. The 2005 data for children and families has been used.

  7. Vacancy data for Eilean Siar was not provided for 2006, so 2005 figures have been used.

Social Work

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified social workers with specific responsibility for child protection there have been in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority.

Adam Ingram: Information is not collected by the Scottish Government on social workers with specific responsibility for child protection. The number of filled social worker posts in Children’s Services in each local authority in each of the last three years is provided in the following table.

  Social Worker Filled Posts in Children’s Services (Whole-Time Equivalent) - by Local Authority: October 2004 to October 2006

  

 Local Authority
 Filled Posts - WTE1,2,3


 October 2004
 October 2005
 October 2006


 Aberdeen City
 108
 104
 108


 Aberdeenshire
 114
 115
 111


 Angus
 42
 41
 45


 Argyll and Bute
 11
 12
 18


 Clackmannanshire
 20
 13
 12


 Dumfries and Galloway
 45
 62
 71


 Dundee City4
 103
 77
 77


 East Ayrshire
 38
 36
 47


 East Dunbartonshire
 11
 11
 17


 East Lothian
 30
 38
 29


 East Renfrewshire
 36
 33
 31


 Edinburgh City5
 210
 220
 220


 Eilean Siar
 3
 6
 7


 Falkirk
 47
 65
 72


 Fife
 97
 100
 123


 Glasgow City
 340
 357
 389


 Highland
 96
 106
 106


 Inverclyde
 43
 49
 43


 Midlothian
 23
 33
 36


 Moray
 36
 43
 49


 North Ayrshire
 37
 40
 46


 North Lanarkshire
 90
 107
 118


 Orkney Islands
 8
 8
 8


 Perth and Kinross
 47
 46
 50


 Renfrewshire
 56
 54
 68


 Scottish Borders
 49
 39
 49


 Shetland Islands
 7
 7
 8


 South Ayrshire
 42
 43
 48


 South Lanarkshire
 94
 119
 115


 Stirling
 44
 48
 45


 West Dunbartonshire
 56
 46
 56


 West Lothian
 71
 73
 68


 Scotland
 2,053
 2,147
 2,290



  Source: Social work staff and vacancies: annual statistics. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Children/PubSocialWorkStaff.

  Notes:

  The bi-annual Social Work Posts and Vacancies: October 2007 publication contains national level data on social worker numbers at service level. For statistical reasons, these cannot be broken down by local authority and the annual statistics have therefore been used as noted above.

  1. In the October 2006 census, there was a change in methodology to eliminate the double counting of staff covering for absent staff. Therefore, 2006 figures are not comparable with previous years.

  2. Staff numbers may fluctuate over time as a result of various factors, including changes in the way services are provided and changes in the numbers of vacancies.

  3. For some local authorities, certain services are provided by other departments (e.g. some services for children may be provided by education departments). This will result in some differences in the level of staffing between local authorities.

  4. In 2006, data for Dundee City was not provided. The data supplied for 2005 has been used.

  5. In 2006, children and families data for City of Edinburgh was not provided. The 2005 data for children and families has been used.

Terrorism Act 2000

Bashir Ahmad (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many stop and searches have been carried out in Scotland under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in each year since implementation of the Act, broken down by police force and division.

Kenny MacAskill: In 2006, Lothian and Borders Police searched five people and one vehicle under these powers. The number of searches in 2007, which is the only other year Scottish police forces have conducted these searches is shown in the following table. This information is not available by division.

  

 Police Force
 Persons Searched
 Vehicles Searched


 Central Scotland
 1
 0


 Dumfries and Galloway
 3
 0


 Fife Constabulary
 5
 3


 Grampian Police 
 18
 8


 Lothian and Borders
 16
 8


 Northern Constabulary
 33
 30


 Strathclyde Police
 7
 2


 Tayside Police 
 1
 0


 Total
 84
 51



  Such searches undertaken by the British Transport Police in Scotland are a matter for the Home Office, who receive notification of the number of those searches on a monthly basis.